Marlene Richey Debuts Interactive Series About Jewelry Industry
Influencers
http://www.ganoksin.com/gnkurl/ep81jy
Every jeweler has a creation story. Usually that story involves a
teacher, mentor or designer who had a big impact early in a
jeweler’s career. Those stories, taken together, tell a larger tale
of who is shaping the contemporary jewelry industry and where it is
headed.
Marlene Richey, author of Profiting by Design, is known for helping
jewelers build successful business strategies, but this fall she is
shifting her focus from business to design. In a new series for The
Studio, Rio Grande’s blog, she explores industry influencers and
trendsetters who are shaping (or have shaped) the contemporary
jewelry landscape in the last century. Instead of a one-way
conversation, she hopes to initiate a digital conversation with
jewelers and designers.
“In recent conversations with some of my colleagues in the industry,
I’ve come to realize that many jewelers have a story to tell about
individuals who have had the greatest influence on their area of the
jewelry world,” says Marlene. “This has been a subject of great
personal importance to me. I majored in jewelry in college during
the late '60s and have been lucky enough to observe first-hand many
of the extraordinary and momentous changes to happen in this field
since that time.” The first in the series of articles posted at The
Studio on August 29. It invited jewelers to join the conversation by
leaving comments about who has had the biggest impact on their work.
Over the coming months Marlene will write an article each month
about an industry influencer. Some of the people she profiles will
be drawn from her own experience in the industry, but most will be
in response to comments left by readers.
“My goal is to create a showcase for past and contemporary makers,
influencers and trendsetters in the jewelry world,” says Marlene. “I
want to discover how the world of metals and jewelry has changed due
to the invaluable contributions of these talented artists. But
here’s the really interesting part: I can only tell each person’s
story from my own perspective. So I encourage and welcome input from
everyone!” The introductory post can be found at riograndeblog.com.
The next article is scheduled for late September and will examine
the work of Ramona Solberg.